High speed vibration drills



April 22, 1969 J. B. GUIN HIGH SPEED VIBRATION DRILLS Sheet Filed Jan. 29, 1965 INVENTOR April 22, 1969 J. B. GUIN 3,439,756

HIGH SPEED VIBRATION DRILLS Filed Jan. 29. 1965 Sheet 2 or 2 United States Patent US. Cl. 175-92 2 Claims This invention relates to high speed vibration drills driven by fluid pressure and more specifically to drills in which drill fluid such as water, air or mud under pressure causes a core to rotate rapidly and thereby to produce a vibration by repeatedly separating two plates, an upper and a lower, each carrying drill means such as spikes, then letting them come together again by venting the drill fluid through ducts in the drill bit shell when said ducts line up with matching core exhaust ducts leading to the drilling face.

A main object of the invention is to exploit the advantage of high pressure in driving a drill at high speeds. Other objects are: to supply a drill that can easily be regulated as to rate of rotation of the drill shaft, speed of rotation of the drill bit, rate of vibration of the drill bit plates, and pressure of vibrating spikes against the work face; and to design a drill that tends to vibrate faster in harder materials, and will thus oflset its higher costs by increased production. Other objects and advantages will become apparent when the description below is carefully examined in connection with the enclosed drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through the lower end of the drilling shaft and two parts of the drill bit, taken along line 11 in FIG. 3 in two planes that intersect in line 25, FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a top view taken in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 showing parts of the lower plate which surround one of the two arcuate fluid ducts within the drill bit.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section taken along line 33 in FIG. 1 showing the relative position of the two radial fluid channels.

Referring now to the drawings, a key feature of the drill bit is the use of two arcuate fluid ducts 15 formed by wall 23 of drill bit shell 1B at one side, upper plate 6 mounted thereon at the top, lower plate 8 at the bottom and curved extension 26 integral therewith at the other side. These arcuate fluid ducts communicate through shell channels 19 and 19A (FIG. 3) on left and right. Core 2 rotates freely on bearings 5 within drill bit shell 1B which is attached to drill shaft 3 by conventional means at lines 17. The circular space between core 2 and shell 1B is sealed off by seals 4A and 4B upon and around the outer surface of core 2. Running through core 2 from shaft channel 3 are curved fluid channels 11 and 21 on left and right located so as to communicate twice in each revolution with shell fluid channels 19 and 19A. Extending from shell 1B is an upper plate 6 having a plurality of spikes screwed into its lower side, in one or more rows near the periphery thereof. A lower plate 8 lies below core 2 and upper plate 8 has a number of openings through it to accommodate spikes 7 extending from upper plate 6 to the work face, and has a plurality of spikes 9 attached to its underside and extending to the work face, flush with the ends of spikes 7. One or more bolts 10 attached to the lower edge of shell 13 and penetrating lower plate 8 limit the amplitude of vibrations and keep lower plate 8 from falling off.

Drill fluid leaves arcuate fluid ducts 15 by (way of shell exhaust ducts 13 which communicate with core exhaust ducts 12 twice in each revolution, the fluid flowing through the latter into annular space 16 around core extension 27. Extension 27 is sharpened to drill off mateice rial left unbroken by spikes 7 and 9; it would be obvious to enlarge it, or increase the number of extensions to cover any portion of the underside of core 2. As shown, core 2 is designed to rotate at high speed in a counterclockwise direction. Shaft 3 can be rotated in the same or the opposite direction, and at any desired speed, by conventional means. The relative sizes and shapes of the fluid channels and ducts are determined by the drill fluid used.

In the version shown there are two radial fluid channels, two shell exhaust and two core exhaust ducts, and two arcuate fluid ducts, and the major function of the rotating core is to distribute the drill fluid so as to. main tain a medium rate of vibration of plates 6 and 8, with little drilling being done by the core extension 27. It would be obvious to double or quadruple, etc. the number of channels and ducts, and to use them singly instead of in pairs, thus multiplying the rate of vibration. Also the higher the fluid pressure, the higher is the rate of rotation of the core, and the vibration speed. Thus, ultrasonic vibrations can be produced by using high fluid pressure and multiple fluid channels and ducts.

Anyone skilled in the art can obviously reduce the number of upper spikes 7, replace spikes 7 with an annular shaped drilling surface, reduce the number of lower spikes 9, eliminate the lower plate with its spikes and replace them with a rough drilling surface attached to the underside of the core, which amounts to covering core 2 with plural extensions such as 27, the surface being flush with the drilling surface attached to upper plate 6 in place of spikes 7.

In operation, drill fluid at high pressure is pumped by conventional means through shaft channel 3, thence through left and right radial fluid channels 11 and 21; twice in each revolution these channels line up with shell fluid channels 19 and 19A, thus giving two vibrations per core revolution. Each shell fluid channel leads into an arcuate fluid duct 15 where it builds up enough pressure to slightly separate upper and lower plates 6 and 8, thus increasing the force on lower spikes 9 and reducing the pressure on upper spikes 7, and thereby adding the vibrational force to the rotational force that turns main drill shaft 3. Excess pressure is prevented by overflow gap 20. Continuing rotation of core 2 takes radial channels 11 and 21 out of alignment with shell fluid channels 19 and 19A; ninety degrees of are later core exhaust ducts 12 are aligned with shell exhaust ducts 13, so that fluid can flow therethrough, thus releasing the pressure and allowing the upper and lower plates to come together again as fluid from arcuate fluid ducts 15 flows through shell exhaust ducts 13 and core exhaust ducts 12 into annular space 16, whence it is directed against the work face to clear away debris and cuttings. Simultaneously shaft 3 is rotated at selective speed in the same or opposite direction, thus forcing upper and lower spikes along the work face as well as into it.

I claim:

I. A high speed vibration drill camprising:

a drill shaft rotated by rotating means and having a channel for drill fluid running through it lengthwise;

a round drill bit shell attached to the lower end of the drill shaft by attaching means;

a drill bit core located within the drill bit shell and having mounted on its outer surface bearing means which separate it from the inner walls of said shell, and circular sealing means surrounding the core and mounted to the outer surface thereof to close olf the passage between the core and shell;

an annular shaped upper plate mounted upon and around the drill bit shell and extending peripherally therefrom;

a drilling means comprising a plurality of spikes, attached by attaching means to the underside of the upper plate near the periphery thereof, and extending to the work face of the hole to be drilled;

other drilling means below the core and said upper plate to present a drilling surface across the breadth of the work face;

a lower plate located below the drill bit core, extending outward peripherally under said upper plate, and penetrated by a plurality of holes through which said spikes penetrate;

said other drilling means comprising a plurality of spikes attached by attaching means to the lower side of said lower plate and extending downward to the work face, the lower ends of said spikes being flush with the lower ends of the upper spikes;

bolts running through said lower plate and attached to the lower face of said bit shell, to keep the lower plate from falling ofl and to limit the vibrational amplitude thereof; and

vibration means within said drill for briefly separating said upper and lower plates drilling fluid pressure and letting said plates come together by releasing the pressure, each vibration causing first the lower spikes and then the upper spikes to gouge into the work face with great force, as the force on the upper and then the lower spikes is reduced.

2. A high speed vibration drill according to claim 1,

wherein said vibration means comprises:

a shaft channel extension from said upper fluid channel into said drill bit shell, thence into said drill bit core;

radial fluid channels leading outward from said shaft channel extension to the outer edge of said core;

shell fluid channels penetrating the lower walls of said drill bit shell on a line with the outer endsof said radial fluid channels and communicating therewith;

arcuate fluid ducts located on each side of said drill bit shell, each formed by said wall of the drill bit shell at one side, by said upper plate at the top, by said lower plate at the bottom and by the inside wall of a curved extension of the lower plate at the other side, and each having one of said shell fluid channels leading into it;

shell exhaust ducts leading inward from the ends of said arcuate fluid ducts opposite said shell fluid channel entrances; and

core exhaust ducts on a line with said shell exhaust ducts and leading from the outer edge of said core inward to an annular space within its lower side from whence it is directed into the work face, to clear away debris and cuttings;

said vibrations being produced by the flow of drill fluid under high pressure from said upper shaft fluid channel, through said shaft channel extension and through said radial fluid channels when the latter comes in line with said shell fluid channels so the fluid can flow through the shell fluid channels into said arcuate fluid ducts where the pressure forces the upper and lower plates apart briefly, the pressure being released to allow the plates to come together when the core rotation brings said shell exhaust ducts in line with said core exhaust ducts allowing fluid to pass therethrough into the annular space whence it is directed into the work face, one vibration being produced when the plates separate and another when they come back together, the vibrations causing first the lower spikes to gouge into the work face harder while the pressure on the upper spikes is lowered and then causing the upper spikes to gouge harder into the work face while the pressure on the lower spikes is lowered, all this occurring as said rotating means drags both upper and lower spikes across the work face as the drilling proceeds.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 701,391 6/1902 Pruszkowski 175-92 2,390,646 12/1945 Hays 175-56 X 2,942,851 6/1960 Beck 175-107 2,743,083 4/ 1956 Zublin 175-56 3,105,560 10/ 1963 Zublin 175-56 3,163,240 12/1964 Bodine 175-56 3,216,514 11/1965 Nelson 175-56 X 3,251,424 5/1966 Brooks 175-56 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD E. FAVREAU, Assisant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

1. A HIGH SPEED VIBRATION DRILL COMPRISING: A DRILL SHAFT ROTATED BY ROTATING MEANS AND HAVING A CHANNEL FOR DRILL FLUID RUNNING THROUGH IT LENGTHWISE; A ROUND DRILL BIT SHELL ATTACHED TO THE LOWER END OF THE DRILL SHAFT BY ATTACHING MEANS; A DRILL BIT CORE LOCATED WITHIN THE DRILL BIT SHELL AND HAVING MOUNTED ON ITS OUTER SURFACE BEARING MEANS WHICH SEPARATE IT FROM THE INNER WALLS OF SAID SHELL, AND CIRCULAR SEALING MEANS SURROUNDING THE CORE AND MOUNTED TO THE OUTER SURFACE THEREOF TO CLOSE OFF THE PASSAGE BETWEEN THE CORE AND SHELL; AN ANNULAR SHAPED UPPER PLATE MOUNTED UPON AND AROUND THE DRILL BIT SHELL AND EXTENDING PERIPHERALLY THEREFROM; A DRILLING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SPIKES, ATTACHED BY ATTACHING MEANS TO THE UNDESIDE OF THE UPPER PLATE NEAR THE PERIPHERY THEREOF, AND EXTENDING TO THE WORK FACE OF THE HOLE TO BE DRILLED; OTHER DRILLING MEANS BELOW THE CORE AND SAID UPPER PLATE TO PRESENT A DRILLING SURFACE ACROSS THE BREADTH OF THE WORK FACE; A LOWER PLATE LOCATED BELOW THE DRILL BIT CORE, EXTENDING OUTWARD PERIHERALLY UNDER SAID UPPER PLATE, AND PENETRATED BY A PLURALITY OF HOLES THROUGH WHICH SAID SPIKES PENETRATE; SAID OTHER DRILLING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SPIKES ATTACHED BY ATTACHING MEANS TO THE LOWER SIDE OF SAID LOWER PLATE AND EXTENDING DOWNWARD TO THE WORK FACE, THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID SPIKES BEING FLUSH WITH THE LOWER ENDS OF THE UPPER SPIKES; BOLTS RUNNING THROUGH SAID LOWER PLATE AND ATTACHED TO THE LOWER FACE OF SAID BIT SHELL, TO KEEP THE LOWER PLATE FROM FALLING OFF AND TO LIMIT THE VIBRATIONAL AMPLITUDE THEREOF; AND VIBRATION MEANS WITHIN SAID DRILL FOR BRIEFLY SEPARATING SAID UPPER AND LOWER PLATES DRILLING FLUID PRESSURE AND LETTING SAID PLATES COME TOGETHER BY RELEASING THE PRESSURE, EACH VIBRATION CAUSING FIRST THE LOWER SPIKES AND THEN THE UPPER SPIKES TO GOUGE INTO THE WORK FACE WITH GREAT FORCE, AS THE FORCE ON THE UPPER AND THEN THE LOWER SPIKES IS REDUCED. 